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Thursday, August 30, 2012

Good morning, everyone! I have several swatches of Wet n Wild's Spoiled line of polish, sold exclusively at CVS. This is a "new to me" line. I used to work for a competitor of CVS (shhhh, don't tell!) before I had my daughter & out of habit, never shop there. After doing a bit of blog lurking, I found a swatch of a lovely rosy pink foil & did a bit of spontaneous polish purchasing!

Spoiled - Shrimp on the Barbie

Shrimp on the Barbie is a warm rose pink base with gold flecks. This is my kind of polish, and the one that caused me to splurge! It's everything I look for, color-wise & finish. I'm a huge sucker for glass fleck/foil polish.

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Bottle shot

Good coverage for a $2 drugstore polish. 3 coats for smooth, sparkly color. Average dry time. It does need a good top coat, the foil dulls a bit after it dries.

Shiny shot ....dies....﻿

It looks so lovely, both in and out of the bottle. Definitely worth the splurge.

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Spoiled - Toad-ally Amazing

This one is a very familiar minty green, slightly turquoise cream that has been so popular since China Glaze For Audrey. The main difference is this one has a very soft, subtle silvery shimmer. Oh it won me over with this little extra!

Bottle Shot of shimmer

This one was a tiny bit on the thick side, & it dragged if I went too quickly with the next coat. 2 coats for full coverage, but I did a third to even it all out.

Spoiled - I'm So Jaded

So this isn't exactly Jade, it's a bright lime neon. I was really surprised how bright it is. Also, unlike traditional neons, it dries to a satin finish instead of matte. Either way, I actually liked this one a lot! It was a bit sheer on the first coat, but quickly built up and was opaque after 3 coats.

Spoiled - Paying with Platinum

I am in love with this one, definitely a "ooooh" moment when I put it on. I knew it was a duo-chrome when I ordered it, but golly, it's amazing. I really wasn't expecting this much color shift from a cheapo drugstore brand. A bit similar to Zoya Adina, but I'm pretty sure the silver/purple/green color shift is brighter & more pronounced in this one. It was really hard to capture all the different flashes of color, but check out the bottle! Blue/green/silver/purple all in one polish! And yes, it all translates on the nail!﻿

Silver/green shift

Formula wise, it was a bit tricky. The first coat was super sheer, so I did a thicker coat, the second time around & it took for ever to dry. 4 coats total.

Low light

Once I figured out how to apply it, I knew it would be one of my favorites from the set. Love a good duo chrome.

Spoiled - Deeper Diver

The white balance on my camera ate the pretty teal of this color & turned it to an inky blue. The actual polish is a blackened teal jelly base with gold fleck & bright teal micro glitter. Despite it being so dark (I'm not a fan of dark polishes), I found this one to be really pretty, especially the contrast of gold flecks.

Bottle Shot

Out of all the polishes, I got, this one had the worst formula. The jelly base was really sheer, 4 coats for full coverage. Not to mention, something about the fleck glitter caused horrible streaking and clumping, and it dulled almost completely when it dried. No where near as nice as Shrimp on the Barbie. It also stained really bad. My hands and nails were covered with blue splotches after I took it off.

Close up

Despite the horrible formula, I still swoon over this one. I'm not one to give up a polish if it's pretty, regardless of it's flaws.

Spoiled - Trust Fund Baby over Visibly Slimming

Trust Fund Baby is a clear polish loaded with medium gold, blue and black hex glitter and pink square glitter. I layered it over Visibly Slimming with is just a basic black cream. A good choice if you need a black polish in your stash.

One coat

I got this glitter simply because I don't have too many clear glitters in my stash. It's nothing super special, but pretty none the less. Good for layering or nail art. I actually want to do a glitter gradient over a grey base, with this, sometime.

Two coats﻿

Three coats

My only issue with this polish is the glitter application. I really had to go slow and work at the placement, otherwise, I took off glitter after each swipe.

One of the biggest issues with every polish was the awful brush. It was uneven and fluffy, which can cause application problems if you aren't patient. I've seen some brush pics on other blogs with stray bristles, lucky, none of mine had that problem. Overall, for a cheap drugstore brand, this line is a good choice if you are in need of a quick polish fix. I'm pretty sure I will be getting more in the future.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Nails Inc is quickly becoming a new obsession for me. I love their base line of colors, especially the phenomenal blue, Baker Street. I am currently coveting the Mirror Metallic collection and the Nail Jewelry collection as well. I recently snagged Sweets Way from the "Sprinkles" special effect line.

Nails Inc "Sprinkles" Special Effects - Sweets Way

Sweets Way is a sheer milky white base loaded with silver, pink and blue round glitter. The base isn't exactly jelly, more of a sheer cream and combined with the glitter, it is supposed to resemble icing with candy sprinkle.

One Coat

It builds nicely for such a sheer base, I had full coverage in 4 coats. The glitter also layers really well, no application problems. Quick dry time, as well, hardly any waiting between coats.

Two Coats

My two issues with it, formula wise, is that you definitely needs two coats of a good shiny top coat and since it is so glitter-heavy, you will absolutely need to use the "foil method" to remove it (soak a cotton ball, place it on your finger & wrap with a piece of aluminum foil. Let it set for a few minutes & remove), otherwise, you will be scraping glitter off and getting it all over yourself. This is what happened to me, I was out of foil. : \

Three Coats

Nails Inc really impressed me with this polish. Most times, a company claims to have something new and special, but doesn't always deliver. This time they did. It really did look like I dipped my nails in a bowl of sprinkles! The milky base mutes the shiny glitter which really amps up the "sprinkle" look. Honestly, I was a little put off by the amount of glitter, at first, but as I wore it through out the day, I really started to like it. I will definitely be picking up the others in the collection!

Nails Inc "Sprinkle" Special Effects is available on the Nails Inc. website for UK customers & at Sephora online and in stores.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Revlon Whimsical is one of my favorite polishes - in the bottle. It's a drugstore dupe of Deborah Lippman's Glitter in the Air, and some say it's a better polish than it's pricey counterpart. When I found it shelved at the local grocery store, I snatched it up immediately. After three failed applications, and about 1/4 of the bottle gone, I gave up on it. I gave it one more shot again today, layering it over a sift purple shimmer (Zoya Marley), and decided it was okay.

Revlon Whimsical over Zoya Marley

This is one coat Marley with four coats Whimsical. Marley greys Whimsical up a bit, but also brightens it as well. Alone, it looked very dirty against my skin tone. It definitely needs a polish undie coat. Also, due to the jelly nature of Whimsical, it needs a few minutes of dry time in between each coat, or it will bubble (mine has every single time >_< ). Even though I love this polish in the bottle (it is so dreamy!), I just wish I could find something similar that was a better polish.﻿

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Sephora & Pantone Universe has teamed up again to release a Fall collection called "The Alchemy of Color"

"Fall under the spell of the Alchemy of Color Collection, an enchanting collaboration between Pantone Universe and Sephora that marries the hottest shades of the season with exclusive formulation and finish. The collection includes a kaleidoscope of colors and each of the multi-dimensional lacquers feature an innovative texture and futuristic finish, from metallic, to sparkle, iridescent, and never-seen-before metallic matte."

(Sephora.com website description)

The nail polish collection is called Jewel Laquers, taking inspiration from precious stones. Out of the collection, I purchased Parachute Purple & Violet Quartz.

Packing is a very pretty irridescent box

Parachute Purple - a blue toned purple with a turquoise shimmer

This particular shade was what drew me in to the collection. On the website, it was irridescent, shimmery & teased a very pretty duo chrome shift. Sadly, it didn't deliver. While the color is very nice, it dries a bit darker than the bottle & as a result, drowns out the lovely turquoise shimmer. A good shiny top coat does help, slightly.

It does have a bit of a purple flash to it, but honestly, not enough for me to think of the color Violet.

The bronze shift is really nice, if you can catch the right lighting. For me, it was only evident outside.

Formula on both was really good. They flowed smoothly from the brush, & full coverage in 2 coats. Good dry time as well. Overall, a pretty big let down. I wanted so much more from these two colors, but they didn't deliver. They certainly don't live up to the description. Violet Quartz is a nice fall color on it's own & out of the two, I do prefer it over Parachute Purple.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Recently, I acquired Nails Inc. Baker Street, after many a numerous hour debating whether or not, I really should get it. It has been on the very top of my wish list since I first saw a swatch of it. It is such a beautiful blue, but I thought it would be too much. I have Revlon Royal, and as lovely as that polish is, it is a bit too dark for my fair skin. I thought Baker Street would fall in to the same category.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Nails Inc. - Baker Street

It is perfect in every possible way. Formula, application, dry time, coverage and COLOR. It is a stunning super saturated cobalt blue cream that I am now madly in love with. Sigh. If that wasn't enough, the name totally does me in. I cannot hear/read Baker Street with out thinking of this glorious man...

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Double sigh...

Nails Inc. products are available at the Nails Inc﻿ web site (shipping only in the UK) and also at Sephora (online & in store).

Friday, August 17, 2012

When Essie's LuxEffect collection came out last winter, I, like every one else fell prey to Shine of the Times. It is a flakie top coat & by far the prettiest one out of the collection. After first purchasing it, I layered it with everything I had, just to see what it would look like. I got bored & moved on to other sparkly polishes.

Essie - Shine of the Times over Zoya - Maya

I dug it out yesterday & topped Zoya's Maya with it. I swear, I have never seen it look so pretty. Even though, they are from two different polish companies, Maya was made for Shine of the Times. My camera can't even begin to comprehend the shiny flakes or the incredible iridescent fire that the two create. Ugh. My Mr. even commented on how pretty it looked! I'm not sure if I can ever layer it over something else again. I'm sure I will be very disappointed.﻿

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Along with the Pantone Universe set, I recently picked up this limited edition Sephora by OPI Betsey Johnson polish sample set. If you aren't aware, the incredibly wild & talented fashion designer, Betsey Johnson, has declared bankruptcy. I have always loved her designs & spent my fair share of time ogling her amazing line of shoes. I think she is an amazing designer & part of it is the color palette he often works with. Sephora by OPI released a whole line of full sized polishes inspired by her eye catching color palettes along with this sample set of 6 mini polishes.

XOX Betsey is a soft pink nude cream. I loved this color in the bottle, but on my nails, I wasn't so much of a fan. It's too pale & desaturated for my skin tone. I wish it would have been a jelly finish, it would have given the color so much more depth. The formula was a bit streaky on the first two coats, it took 4 total to even everything out & look smooth. Other than that, it was fine, not too thick & good dry time.﻿

Alley Cat

A deep magenta with a slight gold shimmer (although the shimmer is so so subtle that I didn't see it until after I took the swatch picture & caught a flash in the sun light). Better than what I expected. I'm usually not a fan of colors like these, but it looked really pretty after all. Good formula & application. 3 coats for perfect coverage.﻿

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Too Too Turq

This is one of the colors exclusive to the set, a very saturated turquoise blue with a bit of teal shimmer. I so wanted the shimmer to be noticeable! It's very apparent in the bottle, but just barely there on the nail, but it is so pretty! Definitely my favorite color of the set. Same as Alley Cat, formula wise, 3 coats on this one as well.

Yellow My Name is Betsey

First off, sorry the dark picture (my camera battery died while swatching & had to re shoot later in the afternoon, boo). Yellow My Name is Betsey, is a soft, bright yellow cream. No, it's not exactly a unique yellow, but it is a good color & I don't think you could have a Betsey Johnson set without having a yellow color. This one is another exclusive as well. Similar application to XOX, Betsey, as far as streaking goes. 4 coats as well, just to even out the streaks.﻿

Son of a Gun

A blue toned, gun metal grey with small silver fleck glitter & a smattering of hologram micro glitter (again, not enough for my taste, but just enough to make you notice). This is an unexpected color for me. I am not a girl who wears dark colors, but I love this grey. It is a lot more vibrant than I was expecting, definitely has that Betsey touch. The last exclusive of the set & a close runner up for my favorite. A bit on the thin side, but the glitter built up nicely with each coat, 4 total.

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Pushing Your Luck

If you bottled up Betsey's signature lipstick, this would be the color. Bright, saturated, true red. I can honestly say, that this is the first red I have had in my stash for a long, long time. But like the yellow, it is a good red, not too dark & vampy, not too pink & washed out. Just red. Good application & formula, 3 coats for full coverage.

Overall, I like the set. I think it is a bit overpriced for a set of six mini's ($24.50 on Sephora.com), but seeing how three are exclusive to the set, I'm not too opposed to paying a little more. Out of all the colors, I think these represent the essence of Betsey's style; girlie & glam all in one set.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Recently, I picked up one of the Sephora and Pantone Universe "Color of the Year" sets. Pantone is a color branding company that "creates" color used by artists, designers, fashion houses, etc. Every year they determine what color will be the trend and develop a color palette revolving around that specific shade. This year's color is Tangerine Tango. The polish set comes in a really nice pixelated package & includes 4 full sized polishes.

Front

Back

Inside

Each polish is a variation of the Tangerine shade, in 4 different finishes - Cream, Shimmer, Matte, & Glitter.

If you love orange polish, I definitely suggest getting this set. The colors are lovely & I think the different finishes is a great way to diversify the set. The formula on all is a bit thin. It took 5 coats for full coverage, but other than that, it was great. All dried very quickly & flowed very nice. No drips or other problems other than the sheer formula. Overall, I really love this set & am happy that I got it. On Sephora's website, it retails for $17, along with other Sephora + Pantone Universe make up collections.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Aside from heavy glitters, I do love a good shimmer polish. Sometimes, a nice glow is just as pretty as a reflective sparkle.

China Glaze - Fast Track (Colors from the Capitol Collection)

So, this color is from the collection inspired by the Hunger Games book trilogy/movie franchise. I am a huge fan of both & had to get a few of the polishes from the set. This color is my favorite. A nude taupe base with a shimmery pale gold glitter. Not too much, not too flashy, simple and lovely. I really like all the colors I picked up, but this one seems a little more elegant and understated.

Great formula, goes on very nice & full coverage with 3 coats. The brush is a bit on the long side & can cause random drips from time to time.

Such a pretty color! A nice bright purple with a warm gold and red glow. I love it! There were two other purple shimmers released around the same time (Zoya Tru & OPI Dutch Ya Just Love OPI), but this is by far the nicest - in my opinion!

Another great formula, dries quickly, 3 coats as well. Better brush, just like all OPI brushes tend to be.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Have you ever had a pair of shoes that were so amazing, but every time you wore them you wanted to scream from how much they pinched your toes? Well, that's how this polish makes me feel. I love it and yet, I h.a.t.e. it. It is so sparkly & shiny & it has tiny pink stars. Swoon.

I saw it swatched over grey polish on Scrangie's blog a few weeks ago & instantly fell in love. Yes, she goes into detail about it's numerous flaws & yet, I went on ebay & bought a bottle anyway. It is as awful as she says it is, possibly more. It stinks, it is gloppy and stringy and WILL NOT DRY, but dang, it's purdy.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

I have a weakness for anything sparkly. Glitter based polishes take up the majority of my stash. Some of my absolute favorites are glitters with metallic and foil finishes. When ever I do my nails with these types of polishes, I almost become mesmerized by the overdose of sparkle.

Zoya - Faye (Sunshine collection)

A sheer mauve/purple base loaded with gold, copper, red and even a bit of green micro glitter. This polish is so incredibly reflective and lively! The purple base with the golden glitter creates a great color shift effect. Out of all the colors in the sunshine collection, I think this one was the absolute best. Seriously pretty.

A little on the thick side for Zoya, and dry time is also a bit longer than expected. But a bit of patience & a good quick dry top coat can easily remedy the minute flaws this amazing polish has. 3 coats for perfect coverage.

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Zoya - Tiffany (Flame collection)

Another Zoya, but what can I say, love me some Zoya. This one is a peach metallic foil, a sheer peach base with peach and copper glitter and chunky golden flake glitter. The amount of shine is incredible, it literally sparkles with every shift of my hand!

This one is the opposite of Faye, perfect consistency, quick dry time & only 2 coats for full opacity. A great example of how awesome Zoya polish is.﻿

After making a trip to Sally's, I managed to snag Swanky Silk & Unpredictable. I was also looking to pick up Deviant Darling & No Plain Jane, but alas, they were already out. Sigh. Rare & Radiant is a dupe of Chanel's Peridot (as well as OPI's Just Spotted The Lizard, and a few others). Since I have the OPI dupe, I decided not to grab that one.

China Glaze - Swanky Silk

A pale gold base with a rosy pink color shift. Good name, it really does remind me of a pale champagne colored silk dress. The duo chrome shift is more prevalent in person, my camera and/or lighting really didn't capture the pretty pink tones of this polish. It is a dupe of Deborah Lipman - Sugar Daddy & Nails Inc. - Stratford

China Glaze - Unpredictable

A green base with a bright teal color shift. Similar to Rare & Radiant but with more of a blue tint. The color shift wasn't as noticeable as Swanky Silk, much more subtle.

Both polishes were great, formula-wise, perfect consistency & quick dry time. I used 3 coats for both & got full coverage at 2 (added the third for a bit more color shift).

Out of six polishes, half are dupes, at least. Sure it's great to have cheaper versions of more expensive, high end polish, but three in one collection? Kinda lacking in the creative department if you ask me. Also, other bloggers have mentioned this as well, the duo chrome isn't really prevalent in all the colors. But they are called "Luster Chrome" which makes me think of pearlescent color shifts which are more subtle. Overall, good collection, just not that unique.